a film by Brillante Mendoza
2005 | 80 mins | Philippines
Coco Martin .... Iliac
Jacklyn Jose .... Naty
Allan Paule .... Alfredo
Katherine Luna .... Tessa
Ru Miranda .... Lorena
Aaron Christian Rivera .... Maldon
Arianne Camille Rivera .... Faye
Ronaldo Bertubin .... Manager
Josefina Punzalan .... Funeral Directress
The Masseurs
Jayson Colis .... Axel
Randel Reyes .... John
Paolo Rivero .... Andrew
Kristopher King .... Lester
Marvin Bautista .... Dennis
Adan Bolivar .... Gabriel
Kim Relucio .... Louie
Jaypee Basco .... Edwin
Joe Armas .... Jay
Jetro Refael .... Ferdinand
The Masseur - Masahista
a sensual journey into the raw
reality of the sex trade
Screened in Great Britain as part of The
Times BFI 50th London Film Festival
- 22 & 24 October 2006
Available on DVD as part of the
Peccadillo Pictures catalogue
www.peccadillopod.com
AWARDS
Locarno International Film Festival
2005 - Winner Golden Leopard - Video
Brisbane International Film Festival
2006 - Winner Interfaith Award
Torino Int'l Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
2006 - Winner Audience Award
Young Critics Circle, Philippines
2006 YCC Award for
Best Film, Editing
Cinematography and Sound
Best Male Performance - Coco Martin
Best Screenplay - Boots Agbayani Pastor
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Erotic imagery and bright neon lights can often mask the reality of an occupation infused with
morals of a dubious nature and likewise, the art of the masseur can at times be a front for a
profession as old as time itself. Here Filipino director Brillante Mendoza takes us on a sensual
journey that vividly demonstrates the thin line between the dignified act of giving relief
to aching muscles and tired limbs, to that of providing bodily touch
of an all the more intimate kind.
What however is somewhat unsettling is not the act of sex on offer here depicted as it is in a
non-explicit manner, but rather the matter-of-fact way that these young men view such as a
part of their everyday life. Then again, sex is their life, huddled together as-they-are with
fixed smiles on their faces in the hope of attracting potential customers through a glass window
that acts as a hustlers catalogue, by way to select the man of your desire. And of that they do,
as client after client is soon to be found making their way to a series of small pigeonhole
size cubicles nested side-by-side, each equipped with a single bed; home for some to the
honourable profession of the masseur and for others, a spot of gentle massage
that for the right price can become 'anything you want Sir.'
That said, the subject of male prostitution in all of its guises is nothing new. Indeed in terms
of the Philippines it would appear to be something of a recurring theme, with the works MIDNIGHT
DANCERS / 1994 and Chionglo's more recent TWILIGHT DANCERS / 2006 being two noted examples of
the genre. Yet what is striking here, is the honesty that Mendoza delivers in detailing
a trade that all too clearly is viewed differently from those paying for the service,
to those providing it.
Yet it still remains the exchange of money for sexual favours. Only when such an act is taken
for granted as in films of this type, other forms of dramatic tension are required to fill the
cinematic void. In this instance, screenwriter Boots Agbayani Pastor has sharpened his pencil on
an original story by Ferdinand Lapuz and the tale of the day-to-day life of twenty-year-old
Manila masseur Iliac, whose routine of shoulder kneading is put out of joint, when the impending
death of his philandering father prompts a return visit home. And it is that stark contrast
between the world of the erotic massage and the almost pure like quality of a devoted son
and brother that underpins this work, as the masseur of the title is the dutiful son
of the piece, having long assumed the financial responsibilities of the head
of the household, whose burial arrangements he must now oversee.
To that end, Filipino model Coco Martin delivers a natural sincerity to the part of Iliac and
inparticular to his relationship with returning client Alfredo, a writer of the romantic novel
variety under a female pseudonym, but to keen-eyed film buffs Allan Paule from the male
prostitution piece MACHO DANCER. And like that work from 1988, this equally low budget feature
highlights the plight of those who whether willingly or not, subject themselves to prostitution
in the hope of raising above the poverty level of a country dominated by income inequality. And
that just isn't right. That said, this is also a film laden with a number of fragmented
flashbacks, sequences that contrast life with death, freedom with responsibility and homoerotic
intensity with the raw reality of the sex trade. Namely a cattle call industry where men, more
like boys, sell their bodies to support themselves, let alone others. And yet perhaps the
most telling aspect of this eye-opening and well-received work is that the heterosexual
character of Iliac is seemingly more than happy to offer both professional and
prostitutional services, being like many in the sex trade, gay for pay.
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